The Final Act
by EmilyTT
Summary: Robin has been Slade's apprentice for over a year. The Titans have lost hope in his return and want to stop him. But the problem is, two masterminds against the Titans and the Justice League will now be as simple as it seems. Especially when there is no trace of the hero-turned villain. And Slade and Robin know just what to do to annihilate their enemies.
1. Dangerous

**Disclaimer is in the first chapter. Anyways, it seems I've lied about when I'd next be updating. Lets just say I got some great ideas for what to happen next and how I want this whole story to end (; The only question I have is how long I should make this story and if I want to set up a potential sequel. But that'll be answered later along, so, enjoy this chapter! Be sure to R &R!**

 **Make sure to pay attention to the dates/year so you don't get mixed up when there's a flashback**

 **TT**

 **Jump City, One Year Later(June 28th, 2011)**

A deathly silence remained in the room. All four founding members of the Teen Titans stared at the newspaper in front of them, the five remaining teammates of Young Justice glancing at each other with unease. The front page was titled, Has Robin Switched Sides? Along with a long story.

"About a year ago, the teenaged vigilante known as Robin went missing. The remaining members of the Teen Titans hardly ever answer questions on the subject. Why would that be? While some seem to believe that Robin has either left the Titans or been kidnapped, that does not appear to be the case.

 _"One month ago, a man who seemed to be in his late teens, presumably eighteen, was caught on tape commiting murder as well as theft. Fifteen year old James Clayton was just walking home from school when he saw a man described as, 'about five foot eight,' creeping around in the shadows of the alleyways of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. 'I just got this really bad vibe off of this guy,' James later told the reporter. 'When I saw where he was headed, I pulled out my camera and recorded. He must've heard me because he turned towards me.' What James said next creeped out even our reporters, who arrived at the scene an hour after the crimes were committed. 'Even though I couldn't see his eyes, I could sense the malice and bad vibes. And you know what he did? He smiled at me. It was the most unnerving thing I'd ever seen.'_

 _James later informed us that the teen wore an orange and black suit with a 'S' over the heart, a domino mask, steel boots, and black gloves. Even his hair was black and it hung just above his eyes. Aside from that, the video shows the masked villain using extremely talented acrobatic skills to jump through the security system. Less than a minute into the video and five men came exploding out the wall. From there, the video reveals the teen using unbelievably remarkable martial arts to disarm all the security guards. Do those skills sound familiar to anyone else or is it just me? After that, the man that we think to be Robin was seen shooting all five guards, killing them instantaneously._

 _Unfortunately, no one knows what exactly was stolen from the Enterprise. This is the third theft committed within the past year against Wayne Enterprises. Bruce Wayne refused any interviews on the subject, stating that he needs to conduct an investigation and that once he finds out what was taken, he'll answer some questions._

 _Batman and the Justice League have also refused to answer any of our questions about Robin. While they may think they're doing what they think is best by avoiding us, they're only indirectly supporting the belief that Robin has turned to the side of crime._

 _Young Justice has recently been seen hanging around the Teen Titans in Jump City. As we all know, Robin was apart of both teams. Could they be working together to bring their former teammate to justice? Or, if he has been kidnapped, are all of the world's heroes working to find their missing heart?_

 _Article by Louis Armes"_

The newspaper came out last week and it still haunted everyone's thoughts. They'd looked up the video, although it was to grainy and shaky to see if it truly was Robin. They all hoped that Slade was training another apprentice and they had committed the crime. Although Cyborg, Beast Boy, Raven and most of Young Justice accepted that Robin was a villain now, they still didn't want to believe it. In fact, they were all relieved when they couldn't get a clear enough picture even after running it through the scanners. It was still unnerving, to say the least, to even consider the fact that it very well could have been Robin.

Kid Flash rubbed his eyes. He hadn't slept in a whole day. Rather than sleep, he'd opted to stay up all night and look for any possible leads as to where his missing friend is. He'd contacted his other best friend, Roy Harper, two days ago. Roy had promised to come to Jump as soon as his team, Titans East, took out the H.I.V.E. Five. he was due to arrive in four days maximum.

"Look," KF said, "you don't understand. Robin wouldn't just - he couldn't just- that isn't him! Someone is framing him! There has to be a reason! And if you all have given up on him, then let me get into his room. I'll find what you've missed."

Raven and Cyborg glanced at each other, frowning. "Kid Flash, there is nothing of use in his room. Cyborg even ran a scanner to look for any hidden drawers and everything. There isn't anything. It's empty," she repeated for probably the tenth time."

Green eyes glared daggers at purple and grey ones. "Then I'll look myself."

In a flash, Kid Flash was gone, sprinting his way towards the direction of his little brother's room. He glanced at the door before staring at the keyboard that asked for the password to unlock the room. Apparently the Titans had never blasted the door down. He assumed that Raven had just teleported them with her powers.

Wally felt a grin creep up on his face. He was at an advantage over everyone in the tower. If they hadn't guessed the code, that meant they didn't know his backstory. That also meant that Wally, Batman, and Superman were the only known people besides Robin himself who could guess the code without hacking it open.

Thinking hard, Wally began punching dated into the keyboard. The door slid open when he punched in 31801. His parent's death date. Wally sighed, his mood ruined by that reminder. Although he hadn't known Dick when it'd happened, he still felt a strong pang of pity and grief towards the smaller boy. No one deserved to go through all the trauma he had.

Taking a step inside, Wally realized that the Titans were right. There was nothing besides his bed laying out in the room. It was perfectly clean. However, the man dressed in yellow and red uniform knew better than that. There had to be something… something that not even a mechanical machine could sense. Wally was quick to run his hands all along the wall and he nearly sighed with relief when he felt some of it push inwards towards the interior structure of the building. Using both hands and pushing with all his strength, a portion of the wall about as wide as a closet, moved backwards and then slid behind the rest of the wall.

Stepping back, Wally saw an array of his old costume and utility belt from his time with the Young Justice. It seemed that he never fully let go of his items, including his old communicator. On the ground were about six pairs of boots and just as many gloves. Armbands for training were neatly resting against a hanger nailed into the wall. Next to the outfits were some his civilian clothes and behind them was a poster. Pulling the poster out and unraveling it, Wally realized that it was a Flying Grayson poster. He curled it back up and placed it back against the wall. Taped to the wall next to the poster was an unfinished sketch of what appeared to be what would've been a new costume. It was colored navy blue/black all over except for a gray spot over his stomach and grey padding over the kneecaps and the bottoms of the shoes.

Needless to say, he was startled when he heard the sound of voices gradually growing louder. He stepped out of the hidden closest, relieved when it closed on his own. Just in time, too.

"Dude, I told you that you weren't going to find anything," Beast Boy said as he turned into the room. It took him a second to register that the door was open. "Yo, how'd you get the door open? His codes were impossible to guess unless he told you what it was!"

"Uh, lucky guess?" Wally responded. After the lack of care that Robin's 'friends' showed about wanting to save him from this Slade guy, Wally was unwilling to share any of his secrets. If Robin never told them of his past, let alone about the hidden closet, it wasn't Kid Flash's place to tell them.

Raven spoke next, her eyes blank and voice in a monotone. "So, d'you find anything?" He knew she was daring him to say yes. Daring him to confirm her belief that he knew of Dick's past. Of who he was.

Knowing that she could read his mind, Wally focused himself on thinking about how sad he was that he'd been wrong. He pulled on a frown for all of the others to see. "No. The room is empty." He forced a sigh. "It was like you guys said. There's nothing here." Green eyes filled up with tears.

Artemis stepped forwards and put her hand on his back for support. "Come on," she whispered to him. "Hungry?"

He flashed her a smile. "Yeah, that'd be nice." The speedster turned towards the Titans. "Got any eats?"

Starfire spoke for the first time since the Young Justice had arrived earlier that day. "Yes! There is plenty of the food in the…" she trailed off as her words were wasted on thin air. "Kitchen," Starfire finished.

Kid Flash opened the refrigerator and freezer. He gawked at the gallon of unopened vanilla ice cream. The two teams all arrived back in the main room just as he finished the last spoonful.

Cyborg's jaw dropped and his human eye burned with anger. "Yo! That was supposed to be my dessert!" he hollered.

"Oops, my bad," KF teased. "And I must say, that definitely hit the spot. A sudden beeping noise sounded and KF pulled up a video call with Speedy.

"KF, mind coming over here to help? We need backup. There's more than we can handle. We need your help."

"Just me?'

"Just you," he confirmed.

KF glanced at his friends, both new and old/current. "Gottagobebacksoon," he said excitedly before disappearing for the third time.

* * *

JL/YJ/TT

Watch Tower, July 3rd, 2010

Absolute silence met the room. Batman stood, fists clenched and on the table, glared daggers at the Teen Titans, all of whom refused to meet his stare.

"He what?" he demanded.

"He's working for a man named Slade," Raven repeated. "We don't know how or when he started. Probably since the beginning," she sighed.

"Yeah!" Beast Boy exclaimed. "We never shoulda dropped our suspicion from when he was Rex X and-"

"He was who?!" Batman glared at the four teens in front of him. "You're telling me that he was bad before he was bad? Why didn't you contact me sooner?" The growl and anger in his voice was enough for the Justice League to quietly make their exit.

Starfire's eyes turned entirely green as she lifted her head to meet the Batglare. "We do not wish to be under the control of the Justice League," she snapped. "We are only here so you may find Robin and help us understand why he turned on us. He would never turn on us… he promised me…" Her eyes returned to normal, though her sadness was still visible in both her posture and facial expression. Batman was quick to determine that she clearly felt strongly about his ward.

"Besides, he made it clear that he wanted nothing to do with you," Beast Boy added. The Titans all nodded their agreement.

Batman sighed. "Yes, he and I had a falling out. But you still should have come to me sooner. You should've contacted me after the Red X incident! You are to hand over everything you have on Robin; list of activities, anything he would've spent time studying, which includes but is not limited to newspapers, pieces of equipment, anything."

Cyborg opened his mouth to speak but Batman cut him off. "NO. You and your little group have proven that you are too incompetent to search for Robin. From now on, the Justice League will do all the searching. You are to report back to Jump City and you will stay there. The Teen Titans are no longer a part of this investigation. I will find Robin and put him to justice. Now get out." A slight pause. "Get. OUT."

* * *

 **Undisclosed Location, June 28th, 2011**

Sweat clung onto a drenched body that was chained to a chair in a dark room underground. The teen in the chair held his head high and glared at the man in front of him. There was no determination as to who the man was, but he was very muscular and quite tall. The boy had no way of telling what day it was nor if it were morning, afternoon, or night. A light bulb flickered on, giving the room an eerie glow to it.

Fresh blood that ran down dried blood dripped slowly off the teen's chin, but he gave no implication that he was in any pain. Even the look in his eyes showed that he didn't have a care in the world about his predicament. This slightly disturbed the man standing four feet away. A deep frown crossed his face and he allowed the knife that had been in his hand to fall to the ground, hoping to receive any sort of reaction from the other. Nothing. Not even the slightest flinch.

"The name's Carl Thorne. You? And I mean your _real_ name. Not your Robin persona." Silence met his answer. A scowl set on his face, though his eyes lit with amusement. "Oh, I see. The silent treatment. I'd have thought you'd know when it's polite to respond. I suppose I'll just have to go back to being mean." The man's voice was deep throated and raspy, as well as a tint of irritation that was beginning to build.

In a flash, Carl was in the teen's boy face. The muscles along his shoulder rippled as he pulled his arm back and brought it crashing into the face of his victim. A loud cracking noise echoed around the metal walls of the room. "WHO DO YOU WORK FOR?"" Another stretched silence. Another slap to the face and a repeated question.

The teen spoke for the first time in a month. "If I told you that, I'd have to kill you. Then again, you're going to die soon anyways, so I suppose that doesn't really matter," he replied. His tone was bored(and deeper than it'd been a year ago), clearly waiting to have the chance to stretch his limbs. He'd been tied up for a while, though he knew it was his own fault. He'd been careless, so he was paying the price for that. Therefore he had to break himself out. Slade wasn't coming for him.

"Don't say things you can't back up," Carl snickered.

"Well, then I promise that you'll be dead," Dick replied in a sickly sweet tone before it grew serious. "You have five minutes left to live, Carl. I'd use that time to tell your kid that you're sorry you weren't there for him."

Carl's eyes widened. He'd never told the boy that he had a kid. Not even his boss knew. It was something he simply never talked about.

"You're bluffing. I don't have a kid."

"Don't you? What's is name again?" Dick's head tilted to the side as though he were trying to backtrack his memory and remember. "James, was it? Yes. James. James Clayton, correct? I saw him a few weeks ag-"

He was cut off with all the air being forced from his lungs when Carl punched him in the stomach.

 _"I. Don't. Have. A. Kid!"_

"You know, if my wrists weren't chained to the chair here, I'd be shaking my pointer finger at you and I'd be saying, 'now, now, we both know that isn't true.' You know why? Because your kid recorded me breaking into your industry. Does he know that you're his father?" A small smirk played across Dick's face.

Blinded by rage, Carl began both punching and slapping the younger's face. He only stopped when he remembered what he was put in there for.

"How about we make a deal, hm? You tell me what I want to know, and I won't shatter your kneecap again. It'd be a pity if it were to be broken a third time, eh?" It was Carl's turn to smirk. The hammer was his favorite tool on the teen in front of him. It was the only thing, he'd discovered, that made Dick show any signs of pain. He had growled each time. It wasn't much, but it was enough to send a thrill coursing through his body. How he loved hearing others in agony.

Dick didn't even flinch. "Tell you what: since you only have one minute to live, I'll tell you exactly what you want to know. Ask away."

"Who do you work for?"

"I don't work _for_ anyone. I work _with_ Slade."

"Why'd you leave Batman?"

"Small argument. He wanted me to retire as Robin, I refused. Ran away. Childish, really, but oh well."

"Why do you work with Slade?"

"Why not? He's done more for me than both Batman and the Titans combined. If you mean when I for started with him, blackmail. Threatened the Titans. One hundred percent positive they've cured themselves from the probes he put in their system."

Carl frowned, confused and contemplating his next move. "So why don't you leave him?"

"Why would I? He's trained me, become a fatherly figure for me. Of course, he doesn't show that he cares, but deep down he has this soft spot for me. It's amusing, really. Oh, and by the way…?"

He leaned forwards and spat blood directly onto his captor's face.

Carl turned around, dark green eyes searching for his favorite torture device on the table. It took him a few seconds but he smirked when he found it. "You know, I've gone easy on you until now., but now I'm gonna pump up the punishment. There's only so long one can last before breaking. You would know that, wouldn't you? "

A cackle answered his question, setting the man on edge. There was a dangerous tone to the cackle that made it reverberate all around the room. He whirled around and froze when he saw an empty chair sitting in the center of the room. Another cackle sounded, causing Carl to instinctively back up into a corner of the room and look around in a panic. There was no one but him in the 20-by-15 foot room.

"You know, I gave you a warning. And like I said, Carl, I _never_ break my promises."

Carl looked up a heartbeat too late. Dick landed on him, sending the older and heavier man sprawling across the floor. Before he had a chance to recover, the trained assassin planted his right knee on the small of Carl's back and snapped his neck with a quick flick of his wrists.

Dick stood up, leaning heavily on his right leg so as to not damage his left one than it already was, and sighed. Thankfully for him, he saw his gloves and boots sitting on the table and put them on. _Good_ , he thought. _Now to bust out of here._

He leaned down and grasped the keys and a gun from the corpse before limping towards the locked door. Agony shot through his left leg the whole way and he ended up having to walk on his left leg using just his toes and phalangeal joints so as to not put too much pressure on his kneecap.

Upon opening the door, Dick was met with three guards.

"Hey, Carl, d'you get any an-"

All three fell to the ground, dead. Dick lowered the gun and continued forwards. It didn't take long, but he finally found the exit to the hideout. Slade was waiting for him outside.

"You've missed a lot of training."

"I know."

"Your leg looks to be in pretty back shape, there," he observed and they walked towards the car that Slade had waiting for them.

"I'll manage," he replied, slightly annoyed. "Besides, you still got the device in time."

"That I did."

Master and apprentice halted and faced each other. "Then let us go forth with the plan."


	2. Dark Pasts

**AN: Robin has Nightwing's hairstyle from season two of Young Justice, if you're curious as to what he looks like now.**

 **Here's a nice, long chapter to make up for taking so long to update!**

 **So when there's a line that just cuts through without a date or anything mentioned, that means it takes place anywhere within the same day as the previous scene. Anyways, I have three major parts in mind for this story, and man do I hope they turn out as good as I'm picturing when we get to those parts!**

 **Also, be sure to leave a review, I love reading them. Don't be scared to give me criticism. I'd love to see some of that :)**

 **Warning: Knives and blood is mentioned.**

* * *

 **DG**

 **A couple miles outside Jump City, June 29th, 2011**

Dick Grayson gritted his teeth together in a soundless grunt of pain. Slade had rebroken his knee earlier so that it could properly heal and was now adding one final layer of wrapping to the cast. Wintergreen sat ten feet in front of him with a slight scowl on his face. The old man didn't agree with Slade waiting for Dick to free himself from his prison.

"This sets us back many weeks, Richard," Slade grunted. "You know that we can't afford that much time. There's too much to do in such little time."

Dick shook his head, his ebony black bangs bouncing across his eyelids as he did so. Slade only called him by his first name when he was extremely angry with him. "Not necessarily." Pulling up a holographic computer up from his glove, Dick opened up a schedule. "We've not yet enough bots. Say we switch roles. You go out and finish the smaller missions while I set up the bots. We still get the same amount of work done in the planned time length. Besides, you still program the bots the same way you always have. Meaning they're easily destroyed because you've always used them as a means of distraction. I'll program them my way to keep a larger amount of time before they can be taken down. We both know that the League is stronger than the Titans. Your bots will be destroyed in a matter of minutes. The plan would fail. I know each member of the League's weaknesses. They're be set to fight the way that will keep them occupied just long enough for us to finish the mission."

Slade's eye narrowed in thought for a moment before dipping his head in approvement. Finishing wrapping the cast around his apprentice's leg, he replied, "we will continue this discussion later." Without another word, he turned and left, Wintergreen following in pursuit.

Good. that left Dick time to strategize his role. The Slade bots being sent to Metropolis would need a small amount of kryptonite in their fists. Amazon's would target tying her bracelets together. Central City's just needed to take out Flash's legs. Star City… break the bows. Atlantic City's will take out the buildings. All bots would need to have some fire implemented into their armour so they're all prepared for whichever city Martian Manhunter and M'Gann. As for the other Leaguers, they'd be called as backup and by the time all the bots would be destroyed, Slade and Robin will have completed the objective.

Grasping the clutches that were resting on the side of the table he'd been sitting on, Dick hobbled over towards the wall farthest from him. He hit a button and a television appeared. It was already set to the news, so when he turned it on, he simply leaned back on his crutches and listened to the latest news.

 _"... as well as the attack on the video game store, it appears two more superheroes have arrived in the city. Honorary Titan members Kid Flash and Speedy were spotted earlier today making their way towards Titans Tower. That leaves the question; why? There have been no new villains in Jump. We know that Kid Flash is a member of Young Justice while Speedy is an ex-Justice League member. Is it possible that the young heroes are rebelling against the League?"_

Dick narrowed his eyes, contemplating what he just heard. Without turning around, he said aloud, "It seems the Titans are expecting us to make an appearance soon. The Junior Justice League and Speedy have been spotted in Jump."

"And if you meet them face to face?"

Turning around, the eighteen year old narrowed his eyes. "What exactly are you implying?"

Slade surveyed his apprentice. "What would you do if you were to collide with them?"

"Annihilate them all," Dick responded, shrugging his shoulders as though the answer were obvious. "Though I doubt that will be necessary. Once we destroy their cities, their mentors will call them all back to help with the reparations."

"What about the Titans?"

"They'll remain in Jump. they have no affiliations with the League. Even if they did, they would stay behind to be prepared incase the city were to be attacked. We've talked about this before."

Both men turned back to the TV screen upon hearing a familiar voice.

 _"Brother Blood and his council have been an enemy of the Titans for a few months now. I went undercover when they were still affiliated with the H.I.V.E Academy, and they have since held a grudge against us, especially me. Unfortunately, Brother Blood, the leader of the group, escaped along with his council members. Though we haven't caught them yet, we have contacts throughout the globe so if they decide to show their scrawny butts again, we'll know."_

 _The reporter glanced at someone behind the camera before giving a tiny nod and looking back at Cyborg. The other three Titans stood just behind him, their eyes clearly showing their discomfort. "If I may ask, Robin," all four members stiffened, "has not been seen in a very long time. Is there any information you can give us on his whereabouts?"_

 _Raven stepped forwards, carefully nudging Cyborg behind her. "We do not know where he is," the half-demon said, her voice monotone. "Just before he left, he informed us that he had somewhere to go to. We've not heard of him since."_

 _"You haven't tried contacting him?"_

 _"We've tried, he does not respond. As we all know, he trained alongside Batman. If he does not want to be found, he will not be found." She looked directly at the screen. "Robin, if you're out there watching this right now, please, come home. There is much we need to talk about."_

There was a pause. During the pause, Dick responded, very well knowing that Raven couldn't hear him. "Eventually, Raven. Eventually. You better hope you bring your A-game when the time comes."

Despite himself, Dick couldn't help but feel a flicker of confusion. Why were the Titans still acting as if he were on their side? Why not tell the world that he'd switched and now worked for Slade? All of Jump City's villains knew not to get in the way of Slade's plans. had learned that the hard way three months ago. Surely the civilians had found out about him by this point?

* * *

 **50 Miles Outside Jump City**

 **About Nine Months after Abduction**

A motorcycle as black as the cold, dark night snaked its way across the road before swerving to a stop about one hundred yards away from the designated building in front of him. Robin flipped the brake down before planting both feet firmly onto the ground. Stepping away from the motorcycle, the young man carefully removed his ebony black helmet, resting the smooth surface onto the seat. The only possible way to have an idea that he was out in the night would be only if they squinted their eyes to see the whites of a mask and a silver colored S symbol that was over his heart reflecting light from the building.

The eighteen year old wore a completely black suit, minus the insignia. Black pieces of armour covered his arms, legs and abdominal region. Steel-toed boots were painted to match that of the shadows. The gloves were silky smooth, with small compartments in the wrists designed for smoke bombs and grenades, though neither of the two were within it. Rather, sleeper gas was installed in case of sheer emergency. The tips of his mask pointed upwards and downwards. A frown was etched across his face, seemingly permanently there.

Of all the 'toys' Robin had, he had to admit he loved the ones currently in his utility belt the most. After all, Slade normally allowed him to choose which weapons he wanted to take on certain missions. Granted, they had to be within reason, but this was his all time favorite.

Six throwing knives, three on each side of the belt, the larger smoke bombs and grenades, a grappling hook, a dagger, some duct tape and two halves of a bo staff hanging on the sides on his legs by a holster. The only piece missing to the set was the gun itself. Slade had insisted that it was unnecessary and that he would be perfectly fine with what he already had. Personally, Robin believed that Slade didn't want him to get too eager. This mission was supposed to be quiet and sneaky, not loud and obnoxiously.

It was a simple assignment, really. Simple enough that he should have it accomplished well within a five minute time span. Break into Wayne Enterprises and steal the first chip needed out of three. He'd done it before, just as he'd do it at least two more times.

The soft crunch of gravel under feet soon dissipated into no sound at all as Robin's feet barely touched the ground during his sprint. Robin had no trouble at all taking out the two guards by the door. A simple roundhouse kick to the larger of the two and an uppercut to the smaller eliminated both. Now came the fun part. Hacking into the security and shutting down all the systems. It took less than a minute to do so. Bruce Wayne really needed to learn to change his passwords to everything. Especially when his "son" was now against him.

Once inside, Robin expertly looked at the layout of the building using his holographic computer. The closest air vent was too his right, but there were far too many guards in that direction to risk ruining the mission. And he was not going to have another failed mission on his hands. Not after the last time. Not after Slade beat him within an inch of his life.

The only downside to climbing the air vents was that he would have to crawl up four stories to get as close to the chip as possible. What was in the chips that Slade required? Robin himself wasn't positive. He could only assume that they had something to do with the Justice League but he couldn't be certain. After all, Slade had sent him to the Wayne Enterprises in Jump City nine months earlier to steal a thermal blaster. The thrill he'd gotten that night had put him to shame, but not anymore. Robin openly embraced the surge of pride and excitement after every successful mission.

It only took him two minutes to scale the four stories and burst out of the ventilation system. Four guards stood in front of the door. Without even hesitating, Robin slid the small canister of sleeping gas from his wrist, twisted it open, and rolled it around the corner and underneath the guard's feet. Robin had no vendetta against them, so he saw no reason to cause them any harm. Soft thuds informed the teen of when they passed out. Stepping over their bodies, he checked their unconscious forms for the key to the door. A man with blond hair and slight stubble on his face had it.

A purple chip twirled around in the middle of the room, suspended in the air by nothing. Robin cautiously crept into the room, mentally preparing himself for what he was about to consider his first major success. Stealing from his former mentor; the man he once thought of as his father. Any love he once felt towards the man was now replaced by hatred. He'd been blinded by his desperation to impress him to notice exactly what Bruce had been doing the whole time. Treating him like a little kid. Like the eight year old kid he'd been when his parents died. The Batman never took him seriously, always brushing off his suggestions, always saying, "you're too young, you couldn't handle it," whenever he'd tried to help him on League missions.

* * *

Masked eyes narrowed dangerously at the sight mere yards in front of him. He coughed meaningfully to the older biker that was trying to hot-wire his motorcycle. A man about his height with gray skin whirled around, flashlight in hand. His jaw dropped when he realized whose bike he'd been trying to steal.

"Robin?" Johnny Rancid gasped out in utter disbelief. "You haven't been seen in a long time! What are you doing here? Why aren't… you in… Jump..." he trailed off when he saw that the teen was not wearing his typical uniform, but in fact the suit of the single man every villain feared; Slade.

Eyes narrowed further, his head tilting to the side, silently analyzing Johnny. He did not recognize him, but it was safe to assume that he was indeed a villain from Jump City. The only question was why he wasn't currently there. Perhaps he'd just recently broken out of jail. The black tank top and ripped jeans certainly suggested so. He appeared to be in his early twenties.

Needless to say, Robin's strange behavior was slightly concerning to Johnny Rancid. He'd heard all the stories about how the personality of the Boy Wonder in Jump City was practically the opposite of when he'd still been with Batman. But the person he now stood in front of… he was nothing like either of them. He seemed to not have a single care in the world. Not to mention that he bore the insignia of Slade. From what he'd been told by Gizmo, Robin and Slade were enemies.

Something in Robin's face shifted. It changed from completely blank to that with bad intentions. Johnny's shoulders stiffened, and he braced himself for attack, but he was too slow. Robin had already removed the bo staff from the left leg holster and used it to hit Johnny in the midsection. He doubled over, gasping for the air that had just been expelled from his lungs. Another blow to his back sent him crashing to the floor, still begging for air. Johnny threw himself to his feet and aimed a punch and the boy.

Robin deftly grasped the fist with his right hand, twisting it so that Johnny was forced to turn around to prevent his wrist from snapping. He placed the bo staff back in its rightful place, choosing instead to grab one of the throwing knives from his utility belt before throwing the gray skinned man to the ground and backing up, crouching down and observing Johnny writhe on the ground.

He stood up along with Johnny, whose eyes flickered with uncertainty upon seeing the knife. He raised his hands up in the air. "Look," he tried, "I don't want to cause any trouble, okay?"

For the first time that whole day, Robin spoke. "You should've thought about that before you attempted to take the bike." His voice held no emotion in it, making Johnny Rancid himself shudder.

"I'm sorry!" He really didn't want to fight this boy. He knew he stood no chance. Against the Boy Wonder that worked with the Teen Titans, he was positive he would be able to take out. But this… he _trained with Slade_ , meaning he _fights like Slade_.

 _Slade_ … the same man who, when Johnny was ten, killed his older and much stronger brother as if it were nothing. _Slade_ … the same man who was very skilled with weapons. _Slade_ … a man in his mid fifties and still beyond what should be considered peak strength. The same man that has caused many problems for the Justice League in the past(in between Robin leaving Gotham and forming the Titans). The same man who went on a rampage and killed the rest of Johnny Rancid's family after his son, Grant, was killed on accident by his parents. He didn't even dare to think about what Robin could have been taught by this point. His only hope for survival was to try to talk his way out of it. As if.

He'd been too focused on his thoughts to notice that Robin had moved until it his heel was already slamming into the side of his head. He staggered. Another kick to the head. Johnny fell to the ground, rolling onto his back. A knife wedged its way through his right shoulder. He screamed at the tingling sensation that shot through his arm. A second scream ripped through his throat as Robin twisted the knife viciously before jerking it out.

Robin leaned down so that his mouth was centimeters from the fallen man's ear. "Sorry doesn't cut it." The tone of his voice made Johnny Rancid freeze.

Robin backed up, patiently waiting for him to start standing up. When Johnny had himself on his hands and knees, he was met with a knee to his face. He fell backwards, blood beginning to gush from his nose and a numb sensation spreading across his face. _Stupid armour_ …

He could hear Robin's chilling voice over the pain. "It's surprising the pain that the human body can withstand before passing out. Passing out is the scary part. You never know what your attacker could do to you…"

A foot crushed the small of Johnny's back, preventing him from both moving or trying to stand up. The hair on the back on his legs stood straight at the cold feeling of a knife touching his ankle. The tip of the blade slowly traced up his leg, following in a straight path the whole time but coming to a halt and slowly tracing the back of his knee in a circle.

"Did you know that there are several nerves right underneath the kneecap? You only have to go through a few layers of skin to feel the pain."

He opened his mouth to beg him not to do it, only for a cry of pure agony to replace what were to be words. Blood began flowing down the side of his leg. His head shot up, tears springing to his eyes.

"Do me a favor, will you? Tell all your little Jump City friends to stay the hell out of my way. Because this is a warning shot. Next time you, nor anyone else, will be so lucky."

The next second, his head went crashing back to the floor from the blow of Robin's bo staff. But Johnny didn't feel the pain of his nose breaking. He'd passed out from the impact of the strike.

Robin took a step back, staring at the unconscious man with an indifferent face. He hit a button on the bo staff, and it split back apart into two separate parts. "That's going to leave a concussion," he said to the air.

Picking Johnny up by the armpits, Robin dragged him over to the motorcycle before laying him on it. He then proceeded to clean up the mess of blood on the ground, clear the ground so that it no longer showed signs of a scuffle, put his helmet back on his head, mounted the bike, and rode off. He had plenty of time to make it to Jump and drive back to the hideout. As long as the mission was completed, which it was.

* * *

Robin dumped the still unconscious body of the man, whose name he still was not aware of, unceremoniously on the ground in the center of the city. It was 5:50. People would start walking around shortly and find his body. Deciding to leave one final impression to the man, Robin grabbed his dagger and carefully plunged it into Johnny's side, but not too far so as to puncture any major organs or anything. Stepping away and starting his motorcycle up once more, Robin rode away from the city. From two blocks away, he heard the scream of a woman. Robin smirked and drove even faster, eager to leave before the Titans or police showed up. He'd see them soon enough, but now was not the time. He needed more training if he wanted to take them down.

* * *

It took him another hour and a half to get back home, but he knew it'd be well worth it. Robin was exhausted and wanted to get some much needed sleep. Slade as well. Sure enough, the mercenary was waiting for Robin to arrive back at the base.

"Where were you?" he gruffly demanded. He was angry, and rightly so. If his apprentice took that long to finish a simple mission, then he deserved to be punished. He couldn't have an assassin apprentice who couldn't work quickly and efficiently.

Robin took off his mask and stared at his master. A slight flicker of irritation was radiating in those blue depths. _Couldn't Slade at least have a bit of trust and faith?_ "Making a statement," he replied, his voice just as stiff, mimicking Slade by crossing his arms. "I caught some idiot from Jump City trying to take the bike. I left an impression along with a message for him and the others to stay out of our way."

"What'd you do?" Slade asked. He would've slapped the boy for talking with the reminisce of the fire in the boy he'd taken, but he was pleased at knowing he'd more than likely hurt someone. It was a small victory to him every time.

"... Let's just say he'll be out of commission for a while."

"Good boy."

* * *

 **Titans Tower**

 **Present Day**

Bickering echoed throughout the garage and into the main room as the four Titans walked back inside. The Young Justice members groaned.

"Why didn't you just tell them the truth?" Beast Boy's voice was full of anger.

"What truth?" Starfire challenged, her voice equally as infuriated.

"That Robin betrayed us!"

"He would never! Slade must have somethi-"

"We've looked at everything he could've used against him, Star! There's _NOTHING_." His voice softened just as they entered the room. He carefully grabbed Starfire's arm, leaving the other two Titans to walk towards their own rooms or to the gym or wherever they were heading. "I wish I had the same hope that you do right now. Trust me, I do. But he's gone, Star. He betrayed us, and there's no coming back from that."

Artemis, Superboy, M'gann and Kaldur all watched helplessly. Tears leaked down Starfire's eyes. "Robin would never betray us," she whispered before collapsing into Beast Boy. He stood there, unsure of what to do, before wrapping his arms around her back and allowing them both to sink to the floor. He clutched her tightly, hoping she thought he was trying to comfort her, when he was really trying to comfort himself as well as her.

Everyone always thought that he was the most accepting of what had happened over a year ago. He'd always seemed the strongest one of them all after Robin's betrayal. But in reality, he was the most broken. He put on a 'mask' so they wouldn't notice that he cried himself to sleep almost every night.

Robin… he was the hero that Beast Boy had always looked up to as a kid. He was Robin, the Boy Wonder. The first protégé. Robin was his idol. He'd loved how Robin was always able to keep this happy, go lucky personality while he was crime fighting with Batman. Beast Boy… no, Garfield Logan admired that. When he'd turned into Beast Boy, he had tried to copy that liveliness. After he left the Doom Patrol and moved to Jump City, he was more than ecstatic when he ran into Robin. But the person he grew up admiring was not the person he met. Instead, he met a shell of that person. From that moment, he knew that something bad had to have happened between him and the Batman. Something absolutely terrible. The one thing he never understood was why he'd kept the name of Robin. He wondered if he'd ever learn why. He doubted it. Needless to say, when Robin betrayed them, he had felt as if a large portion of his childhood had blown up into his face. As if Robin, the hero, the Boy Wonder had never existed.

Beast Boy awkwardly stroked Starfire's head, completely embarrassed and not knowing what to do. So instead, he looked around, squinting his eyes in confusion. "Where're Speedy and Kid Flash?"

Artemis looked at the ground and scuffled her feet. Kaldur answered for her. "I think they went to go check out the whole tower. KF said he had somewhere he wanted to show Speedy."

"Do you know where that might've been?"

"I do not."

Beast Boy had a good hunch. He carefully released Starfire and excused himself. The changeling made a straight beeline for Robin's room. Not positive if the door was unlocked and not wanting to find out and give himself away, Beast Boy transformed into a fly and crawled under the door. He was right, but not in the way that he expected there was an open slot in Robin's wall in the shape of a closet door. Speedy and Kid Flash were in that doorway, holding a few things in their hands.

"I think he was planning on eventually giving up the Robin mantle," Kid Flash was saying. "This design… it's something he had to have come up either just before, or after, his fight with Bats. it's totally something he would've designed at the time!"

Beast Boy couldn't resist himself and flew up and landed in Kid Flash's hair, peeking down at the paper. His little jaw dropped. It was a beautifully drawn design of a uniform he'd never seen before. On the very top of the paper were a list of names, with, 'Nightwing?' being circled in black sharpie. He couldn't believe it! Robin had been planning on giving up the name? AND the suit?! If it was made after the Titans formed, maybe it _did_ mean that Slade had something on him. That or Slade had convinced him to join him… Beast Boy could only hope it was the former. _Why did Robin have to be so damn secretive?!_

"Beast Boy, you can get off of KF's hair now."

The fly squealed, jumping in the air and transforming back into a human before crashing painfully to the floor. "Ehehe… what's up?"

Speedy narrowed his eyes. "Why are you here?"

"This is my house! Why are you here?" he shot back.

"Because unlike you and your little friends, I know Robin. The real him," Speedy snapped. Kid Flash elbowed him in the side. "Right… sorry. Look, you can't tell anyone about this, alright? There's… some personal stuff that Rob has in here that he wouldn't want you to see."

Now it was Beast Boy's turn to narrow his eyes. "And who's to say that he deserves his privacy?"

Kid Flash widened his blue eyes and gave him a desperate look. "Beast Boy, please!" he begged. "If there's any clue to what's going on, this is it! But… please, just trust us. There are things in here that you don't want to see." Another glance at Speedy, asking for permission. Roy nodded his head. "You can help us with the stuff you can handle as long as you swear not to tell anyone else."

Beast Boy raised an eyebrow. "You don't know what I can handle," he murmured darkly, thinking of his own past. Out loud, he questioned, "you're seriously going to let me help?" Both older teens nodded. "Fine," he complied, "but you have to show me everything you think he would approve of."

* * *

An hour later, Garfield left the room a different man. Seeing most of Robin's old things, it really made him wonder more about the Boy Wonder. Like why he gave up his life in Gotham City. Why he left Batman. But most importantly, why he left his secret identity behind with him. Kid Flash and Speedy had removed all of Richard Grayson's things, granted he didn't know whose things they were, just that they were the real person and not the superhero's, Robin's, but there were miniscule things. Just what appeared to be a small scrapbook, a stuffed animal, and a poster.

What he did learn now was that Robin was a master hacker and was more than likely a professional at math. The intricate designs of all his gadgets proved that much. Equation after equation of how long it took for a bomb to go off, how fast his bird-a-rangs went… Beast Boy couldn't even comprehend any of them past the first two numbers. But he was now somewhat friends with Speedy and Kid Flash, both of whom he learned of their actual names. He was relieved to know that they weren't as obsessed with keeping their identities a secret as Robin.

He'd have to look into Roy Harper and Wally West later that night… see what he can uncover about them. Not that he didn't trust what they said. He just wanted to see if he could do any detective work. Find out where they're from, see if it looks like Robin has been to those areas, and go from there. It made him feel closer to Robin than he'd felt since meeting the teen.

Wally and Roy knew of his backstory now. He was grateful that they didn't judge him. In fact, they'd embraced it, even telling him that he and Robin are more similar than he had thought. Beast Boy assumed that that meant Robin was either an orphan, or he'd been a regular human being with a regular life before going into the hero work. Maybe even both. But it made Beast Boy smile a small, almost invisible smile for the first time in two months.

"Nerdy hair," he chuckled to himself upon thinking of the picture that Wally had shown him of Roy, Robin, and himself shortly before the Young Justice team formed. Seeing the picture made him happy. That wide, goofy smile on Robin's face was the Robin he remembered growing up seeing. He'd never once seen it since the Titans formed. But the still brought up his biggest question.

 _What happened between him and Batman that made him change so much?_ Garfield swore to find out, even if it were the last thing he ever did.

* * *

 **Well, there you have it! 5.3k words for this chapter! Think that final sentence was a little foreshadowing? ;) Guess we'll find out soon... er... I mean... wwwwhhhhaaaattttt?**

 **Did you all enjoy the focus on Beast Boy for the second half?**

 **In explanation to the bo staff thing. Robin has two bo staffs, but they're half the size of the one he uses in the show. But, he can put join them together and they'll act as one long bo staff. So essentially, after Robin knocked out Johnny Rancid with the long staff, he hit a button on one of them that disconnects them back into two pieces.**

 **Hope you enjoyed!**


	3. Shadows of the Past

**AN: Long story short, the computer I'd been typing on was the computer the school gave every student. About three months ago, they blocked this website and archive, meaning I hadn't been able to go on these websites unless it'd been on my iPod, and there'd been no way that I was writing my stories on that. Anyways, I'm back! sorry for the smaller chapter! I just wanted to get this out as soon as possible to try to make up for my absence.**

 **DG**

 **July 10th, 2011**

 **Undisclosed Location**

A dim light lit up the large room. In the background a distant echo of cranking gears could be heard. Inside the room stood a hunched over figure. The figure restarted the video for the tenth time.

Focused eyes darted across the video in front of him, watching each and every moment with practiced ease. Pausing the video after a few heartbeats, the teen began writing down the movements on a sheet of paper before starting it back up again. He suddenly stopped it and rewinded it, watching frame by frame. His eyes narrowed in anger.

"Is that what I think it is?"

"Yes," the teen snarled in response. "It seems he just can't leave it well enough alone."

Slade scowled. "Watch your-"

"I know." Dick turned his head to look at the mercenary. "Was the mission successful?" he questioned, changing the subject.

"She put up a small fight, but once she was restrained, she chattered like a bird."

"How humorous," he said, though his face was blank and void of any sign of amusmant. "It's not surprising. I've been tracking Gotham and _him_ for the past few months. She came out to the public around when I was kidnapped. He couldn't have had the time to train her sufficiently enough. The only question I have is; why was she so close to here? She wouldn't willingly leave the city. Not unless she had to…"

"You doubt my interrogation skills?" A small shake of a head answered. "She was going to retrieve the Young Justice team." Dick opened his mouth to speak, his eyes narrowed even more. "Don't worry, she won't remember a thing."

"That's not what I'm worried about. Would it not be better for her not to retrieve them? We can inflict more damage to both teams if they are not present."

"She's in the torture room." Dick nodded.

"Let me talk to her. I can get her to do exactly what we need."

Slade didn't answer to that. It was his way of agreeing. "How's it going?" A gesture towards the screen and the dismantled Sladebot indicated what he was referring to.

Dick turned back and picked up the face mask. "Easy. Batman hasn't changed his fighting style much. Between memory and this video, I should have them programmed within the week."

"That's what you said last week."

"Last week was a mistake. It's not like you told me how to properly reassemble them."

Slade strode forward and carefully observed his apprentice, only just now noticing how utterly exhausted the teen looked. Dark bags hung under his eyes, eyelids drooping with fatigue. Slight stubble was growing down his jawline. Dick's shoulders were hunched over, his hands holding him up. "You should get some rest."

"I don't need sleep." Dick replied, glaring at the older man as if to challenge him to say otherwise.

Slade raised an eyebrow before suddenly moving his feet into a side sweep. Dick was on his back in less than a second. "Your lack of effort says otherwise."

Dick grasped the hand that was held out to him, hauling him to his feet. "I'll sleep when I finish this, okay?"

"...Fine. But get some rest before you're finished. I want you back in training tomorrow and you being too tired to do anything will be a waste of my time. Are we understood?"

Ignoring the way that Slade was treating him like a child, Dick answered. "Yes."

The dissipating sound of footsteps announced that Dick was alone once more. He turned his glare back toward the screen. More specifically, to the small body of a kid, presumably in his early to mid teens, with a Robin costume on.

Dick almost scoffed at the appearance. The kid couldn't have been original and made up his own costume design. No. he had to go and practically replicate the first Robin's costume from his time in the hero gig. The only exceptions were the long, red sleeves with black on the elbows, black lines running across the sides and the red ran further down on his thighs.

Frankly, Dick found it irritating. He could get over the use of the name, but essentially having the same uniform? Was Bruce desperate to replace his ward?

Blue eyes suddenly narrowed to slits. He quickly exited out of the video and pulled up all recent interviews and newspapers on Bruce Wayne and the Batman. The dots connected in his brain, further infuriated the already aggravated teen. _Tim Drake_. The new ward of Bruce Wayne. Robin appeared shortly after. But… a year and a half ago? Why hadn't Bruce told him? And why the hell did he replace Jason so quickly?

Dick snorted. _Oh well_. He'd soon see what happens when you replace and anger two former Robins. He couldn't wait to tell Red X.

For the first time in a year, Dick Grayson felt genuinely happy and giddy. The two 'brothers' could both get their revenge on the man they hate so much.

It was at that moment that Wintergreen decided to walk in. "Master Dick, the girl is awake if you wish to speak with her."

A smirk splayed across his face and he turned around to face the old man. "Thanks, Wintergreen. I think I'll go talk to her now."

Dick slipped down the darkened hallway, the sound of the crutches being the only sound giving away where he was. Once in his room, he was quick, well, as quick as he could be, to change out of the ragged clothes that he'd worn for the past three days and into more casual clothes.

He had no fear of Barbara seeing him. She'd known that he was Robin. There was no need for him to hide behind a mask. Dick carefully put on a pair of sweatpants and a baggy gray tee-shirt.

When he arrived at the interrogation room, he took a deep breath before walking in. The lights were turned off except for one that hung from the center of the room, lighting up Batgirl. _How cliché._ Her head shot up at the sound of the door opening, her face setting into a scowl.

"I'm not going to tell you anything," she snarled at the shadowed figure. "So do whatever it is you're going to do."

He chuckled and took a step closer, the door creaking closed behind him. "... Who said that I'm going to do anything?" Her eyes widened behind the cowl, her jaw dropping a fraction of an inch as she heard what sounded like an old friend before she recomposed herself into the stoic pose she'd previously been in, hoping the man didn't notice her mistake. But he had. And he _pounced_.

"What's the matter? Is there something… familiar to you?" He paused, waiting for a response. He got none. "Come on, you can tell me."

"Go to hell," she snapped at him.

Dick put on a sad smile before stepping into the light, his startlingly blue eyes seeing straight past Batgirl and to the soul of Barbara Gordon. "Babs, please," he pleaded, "Talk to me."

Batgirl's -no, Barbara's- jaw opened, choked noises escaping a few times before she managed to find her voice. "You-you're alive?"

Dick frowned and took another step forward and crouched down in front of her, blue eyes silently asking her a question. She blinked hard before giving a slow nod. He put a hand on the side of her neck, fingers tracing along the cowl, searching for the small, barely noticeable button that deactivated all the defenses designed to shock anyone that dared attempt to remove the cowl to see her face. When he found it, he tapped it and reached up and pulled the cowl back. Darker blue met brilliant blue.

"Should I be dead?" he questioned.

"I... was beginning to think you were…"

Dick frowned. "Why?"

"Batman never talks about you. You haven't been spotted, well, _anywhere_ in a long time, Dick!" Her eyebrows suddenly narrowed. "Wait a second. Why _are_ you here?"

"I… got myself in a lot of trouble, Babs." He tossed a helpless look at the wire pinning her arms and legs to the chair. "I'd help you if I could, but that'd only result in both of us paying a price. I'd rather that be just me. You have nothing to do with this."

"Dick, what price?"

"You don't want to know."

She scowled. "Why hasn't Batman come looking for you? I'm sure he and Robin can-" Barbara cut herself off, automatically knowing her mistake. Dick had taken it very badly when Jason had first took on the mantle of Robin, the already thin thread of hope for him returning to Gotham being shredded in the process. He'd eventually grown to care for Jason, though the resentment had remained. And then Jason had been murdered by the Joker. That had been the final straw for the ex-Boy Wonder. He'd cut off all ties with Batman, Batgirl, the Justice League, and even the Young Justice team, including Wally. This conversation was about to come to an abrupt halt. She could tell that much.

Dick's eyes narrowed into angry slits, his hands harshly squeezing her shoulders. _Funny,_ she thought, _I hadn't noticed he'd put them there_. He suddenly stood up, his body looming hers in an almost threatening manner.

"Robin?!" His voice was laced with sudden venom, the temperature in the room seeming to have dropped a few degrees in the process.

Her jaw gaped open. "I-I mean-"

"Don't lie to me," he snapped cutting her off. He suddenly paused, a slow smirk crossing his face. His voice sounded darker and he stood up, his stance promising harm. "I was going to pretend this whole time, but I think you're going to help me with something."

"Help with what?"

Dick tipped his head to the side and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "You're going to go straight back to Gotham, and not speak a word of any of this to anyone." He then proceeded to turn around and pulled something off a table that Barbara hadn't been aware of being there.

"Dick, what are you talking about?" she asked, trying to understand what was going on.

He turned back, a small knife in his hands. Barbara struggled in the binds that held her to the chair. When he reached her, he stood with his legs apart so he could lean down, his face expressionless. Dick grasped a handful of her red hair in his free hand and jerked her head backward until she let out an indignant yelp, struggling harder as she realized that this was not that man she'd once had a crush on. The cold feeling of the knife touching her exposed throat made her halt all movements, not wanting her throat to be deeply cut. The tip of the blade rested against the vein in her neck, right overtop the fluttering pulse.

"You're going to go straight back to Gotham," he repeated, a slight trace of anger betraying the stoic face.

She glared at him- well, as much as she could- and finally managed to twist her left leg free. She didn't waste a heartbeat, kicking upwards into his manhood with all the strength she could muster. He jerked away and stumbled back, the knife not even nicking her skin, and bent over to cover his pained region.

Barbara quickly broke the leg of the chair so that it toppled forward. The left arm broke in the process, allowing the Bat-in-training to slip her arm out and move to untie her other arm. She didn't make it far, however. Dick had recovered from the painful blow and was back with a vengeance.

A foot slammed down on Barbara's hand, crushing the fingers instantaneously. Then another foot slammed into her head with deadly force. Everything flashed with burning white for a few moments and the next thing she knew, she was up against the wall, a hand squeezing her throat and a snarling face filled her vision.

Dick slapped her. _Hard_. "You stupid _bitch_ ," he said, releasing her weary body and watching it crumble to the floor.

Barbara rolled on the floor, trying to push herself up onto her hands and knees but her still-blurred vision refused to let her balance. A knee planted itself onto her back, making her thrash around, desperate to get out of the hold.

Her comm. device suddenly landed in front of her eyesight. Her eyes narrowed in confusion.

"You're going to call Batman and tell him you're on the way back to Gotham," he gruffly answered the unspoken question. "You're going to tell him that the Team refuse to leave Jump City. Not until they find the answers they're looking for."

Barbara struggled to turn her head around to snap at her kidnapper. But when she saw that face, _oh god it belongs to Dick Grayson but that can't possibly be him_ , she turned back around and buried her head into the ground to hide the fact that her eyes were watering. "And why would I do that?" she managed after a minute of recomposing herself.

"Because if you don't, I will kill your father," he promised. Her blue eyes went wide. "Oh, and don't try anything," he added. "Remember, I used to be a bat. I'll know if you try anything to warn him that something's wrong."

"You wouldn't," she gasped. Dick might not be himself, but he would _never_ harm her father.

The pressure on her spine increased. "Try me," he dared through gritted teeth. "So, do we have a deal?"

The lack of a response answered her question. She looked at him through pleading eyes. "Tell me what happened to you," she pleaded. His cerulean eyes narrowed and he looked away from her. "Please, I can help you."

Dick whipped back around so that he could glare at her full force. "Some people aren't worth saving," he snapped.

"You think you aren't worth it?" Barbara gasped. "I loved you, Richard Grayson! Of course you're worth it!"

"Loved. Past tense."

"That's not what I meant."

"Let me rephrase my statement, _Batgirl_. I can't be saved. Nor do I want to. Now stop distracting and call Bruce, dammit!" The sheer amount of fury in the ex-Boy Wonder's voice made Barbara flinch.

Never… never had she ever imagined that she'd be scared of the boy that she was once best friends with. This was Richard Grayson, the boy who found a reason to keep smiling despite everything he'd seen!

He dropped the com link to the floor. "Now stop stalling and call him!"

"I'm truly sorry for failing you, Richard," she whispered before picking up the device and tapping in to call the Batman.

" _Batgirl, report_ ," the Bat's voice was as gravelly and emotionless as Dick remembered.

"I talked to the team, but they refused to comply. They said that they want to finish their mission before they return," Batgirl lied smoothly.

" _What's wrong._ "

Of course the bat knew that something was not right. He was the goddamn Batman! Dick nearly snarled at the thought.

Barbara looked up at Dick through blurry eyes. "Nothing's wrong, I promise."

The next words were spoken so quietly that Dick had to lean forward to hear. But by the time he did, the World's Greatest Detective was done speaking.

" _Batgirl, I want you to cough if something's not right."_

"Nothing is wrong, Batman. Look, I gotta go. I promised Dad that I'd be home in time for his birthday, which, in case you haven't noticed, is three days away. It's not easy lying to him every day, let alone being halfway across the freaking country when he thinks I'm in Blϋdhaven for a job interview!"

"… _Batman out."_

Barbara glared up a Dick. "Happy now?" she snapped.

"I'm never happy," he frowned down at her. "Now get the hell out of here before I regret showing you mercy. I'm going to give you a sedative and you'll wake up a few hours from now. When you do, you're going to go back to Gotham, and you are to remain there unless you're ordered otherwise by one of the capes." His eyes flashed dangerously. "Are we understood?" Dick didn't wait for an answer, instead choosing to turn around and take out the syringe he'd kept hidden in his pockets. He pulled of the cap.

"Whatever you say, renegade," she whispered, refusing to look at the ex-Boy Wonder.

His ears perked back in an attempt to hear better. "What was that?"

"Nothing."

"If you say so, Batgirl." He turned around and slowly plunged the needle into her arm.

Before Barbara fell unconscious, she asked one final question. "You never got the chance to tell me when we were younger," she whispered. "Who do you think would win: Superman or the Flash?"

He frowned and squinted his eyes in thought, though Barbara didn't notice. She was already unconscious. Pondering over the question, he cleaned up the room and swept the floor before dragging Batgirl out of the Haunt. He drove away, Batgirl's bike in the backseat of the rusty blue pickup truck they were in, and still did not answer the question. He dropped her in the middle of nowhere and deposited the bike next to her.

Dick leaned down and carefully placed her body on the ground. Feeling very generous, he pulled the cowl back down over her head, and laid a gentle kiss on her cheek before backing away once more. "The Flash," he murmured before entering the truck and driving back towards his home.


End file.
